The Other, Post 3

In the third section of The Other, by David Guterson, a new character is introduced: Cindy Saperstein, who was John William’s girlfriend at Reed college. Cindy enters the story when Guterson fast-forwards to Neil’s adult life as a high school English teacher. Neil had been helping his friend John William survive in an unusual lifestyle of living in a cave in the backcountry of Washington. Eventually, John William had bequeathed Neil $440,000,000. Neil’s unusual story is featured in the newspaper, and it motivates Cindy to introduce herself to Neil. She wants to talk to Neil about John William, but Neil is at first hesitant to do so. I think that Neil is uneager to talk about John William with Cindy because he feels that it would be disloyal to John William. John William was never a very outgoing person, and turned into a recluse when he lived in his cave. Therefore, Neil, who comes across as an honest person, probably feels that gossiping about John William with his former girlfriend is two-faced. Nonetheless, Neil eventually agrees to meet and chat with Cindy.

Cindy tells Neil all about her relationship with John William in college. She describes John William as being very intense in everything he did. This trait was one reason for Cindy’s unhappiness in the relationship and her eventual break-up with John William—Cindy was not as severely passionate about their relationship. For example, John William asked Cindy at one point whether she would be willing to kill herself for him. Cindy explains to Neil that she “said yes, I’d kill myself, but it was strictly an act—…ninety percent [of me] was just this normal college girl who was hanging out and having fun” (72). This discord between the couple was not the only source of trouble for them. Cindy also tells Neil that John William was generally anti-social around other people, but was very clingy around her. Over winter break, he was even calling her three times a day. It seems as though John William was getting all of his social satisfaction from his relationship with Cindy, instead of having many friends and acquaintances.

As she describes John William, Cindy paints a picture of someone whose social habits are decidedly unusual. Although by college, John William hasn’t reached the point of being dysfunctional in society, he seems to be heading in that direction. Undoubtedly, his mother’s mental breakdown and his lack of nurturing care as a child contributed to his unorthodox behavior. However, it seems like John William’s upbringing does not fully account for his bizarre social skills. This is because a lot of the strange social tendencies that John William has stem from his adamant and unwavering beliefs in how one should live. For example, John William believed that bathing “required no more than two quarts of water every forty-eight hours if the bather was wise and responsible, whereas the cultural norm in the modern world was to send gallons down the drain daily for no sanctionable reason” (74). While many people would agree that taking a shower every day when you aren’t really dirty is a waste of water, John William’s life is drastically impacted because of this belief. Being uncompromising in one’s beliefs isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can make someone into a social pariah.

Meanwhile, Neil tells us about his relationship with Jamie, a girl he met backpacking in Europe the summer after his senior year in high school. Jamie and Neil are very happy together, and have none of the complicated problems that Cindy and John William encounter. Neil has told the reader that he and Jamie eventually get married, and when he talks about his adult life, he often mentions the adult Jamie. Through these descriptions, it’s clear that, as adults, Neil and Jamie are not nearly as enamored with each other as they were in college. They don’t fight or have violent disagreements, but the passion that was once in their relationship is gone by the time they reach their fifties. It is interesting to compare John William’s relationship—which was short but filled with passion—with Neil’s relationship—which has lost some of its fervor but has lasted a long time. Perhaps the author is suggesting that it is impossible to sustain a passionate relationship.

Work Cited:

Guterson, David. The Other. New York: Random House, 2008.